


An Opportune Moment

by CatS81



Category: Cabin Pressure
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-21
Updated: 2015-10-21
Packaged: 2018-04-27 11:34:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5046973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CatS81/pseuds/CatS81
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sundayduck on Tumblr prompted a Douglas/OFC fic - and this is what I've come up with!  It's set post-Zurich - Douglas' partner is pondering the reasons why she hasn't been introduced to the rest of OJS Air....</p>
            </blockquote>





	An Opportune Moment

**Author's Note:**

> So, I mentioned on Tumblr that I'm open to fic prompts - and sundayduck requested some Douglas/OFC. I hope it's okay.
> 
> With grateful thanks as always to Linguini for the beta.
> 
> Also, I'd just like to say thank you to everyone who has supported me recently in this fandom - your kindness is so much appreciated :)

Julia Webberley let her fingers dance across the piano keys, dark eyes drifting closed as she lost herself in the familiar melody. The notes rang out into the stillness of her living room, electrifying her senses and thrilling her heart. She had been a musician all of her professional life and still had yet to lose the joy for her craft, even almost forty years later. There was something life-affirming and fundamental about feeling music flow, something essential to the very core of her existence, almost overwhelming her with emotion. She blinked back to herself as she reached the end of the movement, frowning in self-criticism as she reviewed her performance and checked the score. _Too rushed. Too loud. Too…._

“Julia?”

She glanced up at the deep baritone calling her name, smiling as its owner stepped into view. He was dressed in uniform, fingers already beginning to loosen his tie, and she felt her stomach flutter in a girlish fashion she had given up berating herself for. She stretched to accept his kiss.

“Good flight?” she asked, sliding across the bench to make room for him. 

Douglas shrugged, broad shoulders rising and falling as one hand drifted absently to the keyboard. “Foggy. We were delayed by almost forty five minutes trying to land.”

Julia laid a soothing hand on his thigh. “Have you eaten?”

“I’ll go and make a sandwich.”

She shook her head in dismissal. “Go and sit down. I’ll do it.”

“You’re working.”

“Oh, I’m finished. Just tinkering, really, before tomorrow.”

He kissed her with gentle reassurance. “You’re always glorious.”

“Hm. And you’re always biased.”

He grinned. “What if I am?”

“Go on,” she told him, squeezing his leg anew. “Go and sit down; d’you want coffee or is it a bit late?”

“Surprise me with one of your hippy teas.”

“Oh, how the mighty have fallen.”

He chuckled and rose to his feet, crossing the room and dropping into a chair, his obvious exhaustion triggering all of her nurturing instincts. She followed suit and walked into the kitchen, applying herself to the task of his sandwich and flicking the kettle on to boil. A few minutes later she re-entered the lounge, handing him the plate and a steaming mug before settling on the sofa.

Douglas’ smile was grateful as he set aside his newspaper. “Thanks, love.”

“My pleasure. There’s a lemon drizzle cake for after that I may or may not have made today.”

His smile widened. “You spoil me.”

“Well, of _course_ I do.” She watched him, warmed by his enjoyment of such simple pleasures. “How was Tunis?”

He swallowed a mouthful of sandwich. “Oh, it was fine. Though I think Herc was on the verge of selling Carolyn to the highest bidder.”

She laughed. “Really?”

“Or possibly the lowest bidder.” His dark eyes were twinkling with mirth. “Demanding passengers and surly ground crew do not a happy Carolyn make.”

“And she took it out on her husband?”

“On this particular occasion.”

“Meaning you gleefully dodged a bullet?”

He inclined his head. “She knows better than to try it on me.”

“Does she indeed?”

“Well, most of the time.”

Julia drew a breath, aware that they were heading towards a discussion he was unlikely to favour. “I wouldn’t mind finding out for myself. I’m sure she can’t be as bad as all that.”

“My tales of dragon-like ire notwithstanding?”

“Even then.” She paused, willing an even tone to her voice when she spoke again. “It’s not such an unreasonable request, is it?”

He held her gaze. “What’s not?”

“You know exactly what.”

He sighed, relenting. “I didn’t say it was unreasonable….”

“It’s been more than six months, Douglas….”

“I’m aware of that.”

“…and yet they don’t even know I exist, do they?”

He exhaled heavily at the hurt underpinning her words, and he rose to his feet, crossing the room to take a seat beside her. “It’s not a deliberate thing,” he reassured her, rich voice gentle and rhythmical against her ears. “It’s just not the sort of thing that naturally arises in conversation.”

Julia raised her eyebrows. “ _Really_?”

“They don’t ask.”

“And you haven’t felt compelled to tell?”

“It’s none of their business.”

She sighed, dismayed by his defensiveness. “You’ve met the people I work with, love. I’ve taken you to my concerts, my recitals….For God’s sake, you’ve even come on tour with the orchestra.”

“You’re not saying you’d want to…?”

“Well, yes, maybe! I’d at least like to be given the option.”

“It could very well put you off flying for life….”

“Oh, Douglas, please. You know very well what I’m talking about.”

He took her hand and pressed it to his mouth, kissing her fingers and then the delicate skin of her wrist. “I know,” he murmured after a moment before releasing her.

“So, what’s holding you back?”

“Genuinely no idea.”

“You spend so much of your time with them, sometimes more hours in a week than we do together.” She raised a palm to pre-empt his protest. “It’s not a criticism; just a statement of fact.”

“Alright.”

“I’d like to meet them. And I rather suspect, if they knew, that they’d also like to meet _me_.”

He tried a smile, though she was far from fooled. “How could they _not_?”

“I’m serious.”

“I know you are.”

“So…?”

He hesitated for a moment before rising again, and she frowned as her eyes tracked his movements. He had stepped into the hallway and she could hear him rummaging in his flight bag, reappearing several seconds later with an envelope held loosely between his fingers.

“As it happens,” he said, handing her the document. “This arrived at the airfield today.”

He gestured for her to open it and she did so, marvelling in quiet wonder at the elegant navy typeface, the decadent weight of the card.

“You remember me telling you about Martin, who went off to work for Swiss Air?”

She grinned. “Oh, yes. Your Captain, wasn’t he?”

“There’s no need to sound so pleased about it.”

“Sorry; go on.”

“Well, he’s somehow managed to convince the Princess of Liechtenstein to marry him.”

“Bloody hell.” She let her eyes drift across the invitation. “So he has.”

“Quite. Needless to say he’s punching far above his weight.”

“Well, good for him.”

“You wouldn’t say that if you’d met him.”

“Anyway – were you about to suggest we go? The operative word of course being ‘we’.”

He shrugged. “Naturally.”

“So you’re going to introduce me to your current and ex-colleagues at a high-pressure social occasion where we’ll all be forced to spend time together in close quarters?”

“You wanted to meet them.”

“Yes, for _drinks_ , Douglas! Or dinner!”

“This _will_ be drinks and dinner.”

“Yes. With European royalty. At a bloody palace.”

He gave a gesture of dismissal. “You’re not over-awed by all that stuff, are you?”

“Not under normal circumstances.”

“Good. That’s settled, then.”

Julia gave an incredulous laugh and rubbed a hand across her eyes. “Honestly – it’s all or nothing with you, isn’t it?”

He grinned, pulling her towards him and pressing a firm kiss to her lips. “Problem?”

“No. At least you’re consistent.”

“Speaking of which,” he drawled, kissing her again with more determination. “Is it bed time yet?”

She groaned, the suggestion tantalising and appealing. “You go up. I just need to get hold of Stefan about this rehearsal tomorrow.”

He tutted in mock disapproval and shook his head. “Losing out to a damned violinist….”

“He’s the orchestra leader. As well you know.”

“Oh, is he?”

“You’re so funny, love. You really did miss your calling in life.”

He leaned towards her once more and she opened herself to his kiss, his tongue exploring hers with a delicious, practiced ease. “Don’t be long,” he bade her as she broke away, and she squeezed his hand as he stood up.

She was unable to stop herself from calling after him as he headed for the stairs. “Douglas?”

“Hm?”

“You know all this….” She gestured to the space between them. “It’s just because I want to be fully integrated into your life. It’s not for any other reason or ulterior motive.”

His smile was warm as he looked back at her. “I know, darling.”

“Unless loving you counts as either of those things?”

He was apparently considering the question, though his eyes were twinkling in the soft light. “Let me think about that….”

“You think it over. I’ll be up in a few minutes.”

He chuckled and started up the stairs, leaving her to settle to her laptop in the resulting silence. She fired off a message, though her mind was distracted as it fell backwards through the previous few minutes. _All this time…and he finally decides a wedding is the opportune moment….And now all I can think about is whether or not they’ll approve of me…._ With a sigh she battled her anxiety to the depths of her stomach and focussed instead on the certainty of the complicated man she loved. The notion was eminently comforting and she allowed it to swell in her chest, to flood her with warmth, then she closed her computer with finality and made her way towards the stairs.

FIN


End file.
